Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 25 MCU Easter Eggs & References Explained

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Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3!
James Gunn packs Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 with Easter eggs and references to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's past, its future, and the comics. The second film of Phase 5 is the long-awaited conclusion of James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. Thanks to the writer/director's deep love of Marvel's comics and the overall connectivity of the MCU, Gunn's movies are known for including plenty of Easter eggs, including the legendary one from the first film that still has not been found. Understandably, that has created a precedence for viewers to keep an eye out for all the Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Easter eggs and MCU references.
There is a core story at the heart of Guardians of the Galaxy 3 that is more important than the litany of references it includes. As the final film for the original Guardians team, the emotional sendoff for the characters (and James Gunn as he heads to DC Studios) is why the trilogy capper has been as well received as it has been. Still, there are plenty of details, cameos, and more that fly by during its two-and-a-half-hour runtime. Here is a breakdown of Guardians of the Galaxy 3's Easter eggs, MCU references, and comic connections.
25 The Guardians of the Galaxy Takeover Marvel Studios' Intro

The importance of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 becomes clear from the very beginning, as the characters completely take over the Marvel Studios logo intro. The logo intro format is kept the same, but instead of showing scenes from across the MCU's history, this version is strictly focused on the Guardians of the Galaxy. While the intro logo sequence typically changes in some fashion to include the latest projects, this marks the first time that Marvel Studios has solely included footage of the characters present in the upcoming movie. This helps illustrate the beginning of the end for the Guardians of the Galaxy.
24 Rocket's Friend Lylla Pays Off Guardians of the Galaxy 1 Easter Egg

Guardians of the Galaxy 3 pays off an Easter egg from the original movie by introducing Rocket's otter friend Lylla. She was referenced in the first Guardians of the Galaxy as a known associate of Rocket's during his interrogation by the Nova Corps. Lylla's appearance through Rocket's origin and her subsequent tragic death make the Nova Corps' knowledge of her a bit confusing. However, James Gunn previously mentioned Guardians of the Galaxy 3 might need to retcon a piece of information from this sequence. It now appears that Lylla's story is what needed to change to make Rocket's arc work.
23 Rocket's Friends Are Voiced By Two MCU Veterans

The introduction of Rocket's friends Lylla, Teefs, and Floor bring two MCU veterans back with new roles. This comes as Linda Cardellini voices Lylla after previously playing Hawkeye's wife Laura Barton as recently as 2021's Hawkeye. Meanwhile, Floor is voiced by Mikaela Hoover, a longtime James Gunn collaborator who had a small role in the original Guardians of the Galaxy as a member of the Nova Corps. Asim Chaudhry voices Teefs in his MCU debut.